Human Rights Group Favors Religious Freedoms Opposed by U.S.S.R.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission today adopted parts of draft convention outlawing religious intolerance which would guarantee certain basic rights for Jews and others whose rights are denied in one form or another in various parts of the world.

Iraq and the three Communist members of the Commission–representing the USSR, Ukrainia and Poland–fought some of the provisions and voted against most of them, indicating to observers here that they feared the broad religious freedoms might apply to soviet Jews. In the official document, however, no country was named specifically, and none of the provisions could be applied to the Soviet Union unless the USSR ultimately ratifies the UN instrument.

One of the freedoms guaranteed in the portions of the draft convention as approved today, grants to all believers the freedom to observe their faith’s rituals, including observance of dietary and other practices of one’s religion, and the manufacture or import of objects, foods or other articles and facilities customarily used in such observance. That proposed right, which is important for Soviet Jewry, was strongly opposed by the delegates of Russia, the Ukraine and Iraq.

The Iraqi delegate proposed replacement of the paragraph by a more general text, omitting all reference to dietary foods and the right to produce or import them. The Iraqi amendment was rejected by 13 to four, with four abstentions. The four negative votes were cast by Iraq, Poland, the Soviet Union and the Ukraine. The paragraph was then approved in its original form by 17 to three, with one abstention. The three opposing votes were registered by Iraq, the Soviet Union and the Ukraine. Poland voted for the original version, and India abstained.

A paragraph guaranteeing freedom to make religious pilgrimages was adopted by 16 to two, with three abstentions. Another paragraph dealt with freedom to organize local, regional and national associations of a religious nature, and to communicate with co-religionists abroad. Israel added to this clause an amendment guaranteeing the right to organize, maintain and participate in international associations of a religious character. Israel’s proposal was adopted by 14 votes to seven.